Tokwa't baboy

Fried tofu and boiled pig's ear dressed at the last moment, so the tofu is still crisp.

Pork, Tofu. Not vegetarian — contains pork.

Ingredients

• 600 g firm tofu, in 2 cm cubes
• 500 g pig's ears
• 100 ml vinegar
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 siling labuyo, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• oil, for frying the tofu
• 0.5 teaspoon black pepper

Method

1. DRESSED AT THE LAST MOMENT, AT THE TABLE IF YOU CAN. Fried tofu holds its crust for about three minutes in a vinegar dressing and then goes soggy. So everything is prepared separately and combined as it is served, which is also why this is never made ahead.
2. Boil the ears with the bay and peppercorns, covered, 1 hour to 1 hour 15, until a skewer goes through the cartilage with slight resistance left. Cooked to collapse there is no crunch, and the crunch against the tofu is the whole texture of the dish.
3. Cool them, then slice into strips 5 mm wide. Slicing hot pork tears it.
4. PRESS THE TOFU FIRST: between two boards with a weight on top, 30 minutes. Firm tofu still holds a lot of water, and that water spits in the oil and keeps the cubes from browning.
5. Pat dry and fry in shallow oil over a medium-high heat, turning, 6 to 8 minutes, until all faces are gold and crusted. Drain on a rack.
6. Soak the sliced onion in the vinegar for 15 minutes.
7. Add the soy, sugar, chillies and pepper to the onion and vinegar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Taste it: it should be sharp, salty and barely sweet.
8. Combine in the serving bowl -- tofu, pork, then the dressing poured over -- and take it straight to the table.
9. If it has to wait, keep the three apart and let people combine their own.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Philippines · All recipes